Bermuda / Tides Showband
(1965-1971)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
The Bermuda Showband from Co. Galway (as opposed to an earlier band
with the same name from Wexford) appears to have hit the road in
late 1965. The band was listed as being based in Loughrea, but was
also listed as being based in Galway from time to time. We can't
find any listing for gigs played by the band in 1965, but this
doesn't mean they didn't as newspaper archives for the Galway area
are limited at this time (2017). Their manager was Tom Duffy of
Turloughmore, Co. Galway.
The band was playing gigs all
across the west of the country, especially in and around Galway
County in 1966 and seemed to be doing well, playing the same venues
as the top showbands in the country. There were so many carnivals
taking place during the summer of 1966 there was a lot of work for
showbands of every kind and size. In September of 1966, they played
the Fiesta Ballroom in Letterkenny, which appeared to be their first
journey outside the West. Following this "breakthrough"
adverts for the band started to spread further afield across the
country as their reputation grew.
In November, 1966, the band
announced they were going to looking to crown Miss Bermuda in a
contest that would kick off at Easter of 1967. This wasn't the first
(or last) search of this kind as several showbands used the same
advertising gimmick through the sixties (see below). The prizes
included a job running the band's fan club (with a salary paid) and
a free trip to Bermuda with the band in 1968.
Despite still playing
predominantly in their own province of Connaught, as the year 1967
rolled on, so too did the band as they played an ever widening
circle of gigs far beyond their home in Galway. They were also still
being managed by Tom Duffy. As 1967 drew to a close, there was no
reason to doubt the band would continue its solid work schedule in
1968.
On July 22, 1968 an advert appeared in the Irish
Independent asking any promoters who had previously booked the
band to contact bandleader Noel Donnellan from Athenry. Although we
can't find any details (yet) it appears there was a major split in
the band as five members left to become the Tides Showband. Noel
then
recruited local group The Wild Breed to become the "New"
Bermuda Showband with the addition of himself and brother Benny
to the line-up. The band would be managed by another of Noel's brothers, Pat.
To recap, the Tides went on the
road in September, 1968 and included in their lineup:
Brendan
O'Shaughnessy (vocals), John Small (bass), Don Herlihy
(sax), Paddy Fallon (drums), Larry Cooley (keyboards), new man John
Keavy (tenor sax) and an unnamed seventh member who played guitar.
Within a short time the
"new" was dropped from the Bermuda name
and they were billed simply as the Bermuda Showband once again. We
know Eamon Cummins and Michael McMahon were touted as the new lead
vocalists with Noel Donnellan on trumpet and his brother Benny on
sax. The final members were Andy Fitzpatrick ()bass) and Frank
O'Connor (drums). We know they had a six piece lineup and were being
managed by Tom Duffy.
The new look Bermuda continued to
do a solid business but from newspaper adverts it appears they
initially returned mainly to their Connaught roots. By the end of
1969, they were travelling further afield. The last reference to the
band being advertised for a gig was on November 11th, 1971.
In the meantime, the old Bermuda
(now the Tides) hit the ground running and apparently were soon as
busy as they had been previously under their old name. The former
Wild Breed member were able to hold their own on the ballroom
circuit and although the band still played mostly in Connaught, they
seemed to do quite well.
In late 1970, the band played
alongside superstar Guy Mitchell, however by the end of the year, we
could no longer find any gig adverts for the band so we assume they
went off the road almost a year before the Bermuda would disappear.
The last advert we found was for November 28th, 1970 in the Athenry
Town Hall.
Eamon Cummins sadly passed away in
January 2012 after a short illness.
If you know any more about the
history of either band, please let us know via email:
showbands@gmsproductions.com.
click on thumbnails for full image
